Telugu letter ē

At a syllable start, it writes the long-e vowel. After a consonant, Telugu uses the dependent vowel sign ే, as in కే. ఎ is the shorter e vowel.

The Telugu script evolved over time. Its lineage runs through Southern, also called Bhattiprolu, Brahmi—an early Indian writing system—in the 3rd century BCE. Telugu words appear on Satavahana bilingual coins in the 2nd century CE. A shared Telugu-Kannada alphabet developed by the 5th century CE and became distinct Telugu and Kannada scripts in the 12th and 13th centuries CE.

The first inscription entirely in Telugu is dated 575 CE and is associated with Renati Chola royal proclamations. Brown’s 1840 grammar describes an older spelling convention: some ordinary forms beginning with ఏ appeared as యా, while dictionary spellings kept ఏ. This is a spelling difference, not a different vowel.

How do I type ఏ?

Use a Telugu input method; the key depends on its layout.

On Windows, Telugu Phonetic lets you enter a Latin transliteration, choose the Telugu candidate containing ఏ, and press Enter. Microsoft’s instructions were last updated 2024-06-20; Telugu INSCRIPT is the other documented layout.

Latin input mappings vary. In the PramukhIME guide checked 2026-09-05, capital E gives ఏ while lowercase e gives ఎ. In programmatic text, use the single dependent sign ే rather than building it from ె and a separate length mark.